Screen exposure and emotion regulation abilities in 5–6-year-old children: a moderated mediation model

Introduction Screen exposure is increasingly common in early childhood, yet how it is related to children’s emotion regulation remains insufficiently understood. This study examined the association between screen exposure and emotion regulation in 5–6-year-old children. Executive function was examined as a mediator, and parent-child interaction was included as a moderator. Methods A total of 806 children aged 5–6 years and their parents were recruited from four kindergartens in H Province, China, through random cluster sampling. Parents completed questionnaires assessing children’s screen exposure, executive function, emotion regulation, and parent-child interaction. Data were analyzed using Mplus. Results Higher screen exposure was associated with lower emotion regulation abilities in children. Executive function partially mediated the association between screen exposure and emotion regulation. Parent-child interaction moderated both the first stage of the “screen exposure—executive function—emotion regulation” pathway and the direct pathway from screen exposure to children’s emotion regulation abilities. Specifically, the negative association between screen exposure and executive function was weaker when parent-child interaction was higher, and the direct association between screen exposure and emotion regulation was no longer significant. Discussion The findings suggest that the association between screen exposure and early emotion regulation may be better understood by considering both children’s executive function and the quality of parent-child interaction. These findings may inform family-based guidance on children’s screen use and emotion regulation and provide early evidence relevant to socio-emotional adjustment during adolescence.